How to get into alpine skiing? Tips from a professional athlete for a beginner

For many people it will be a big revelation, but it’s not only snowboarding that you can do in the snowy mountains. If you are constantly striving to develop and try new things, here’s our advice – try alpine skiing this winter. Spoiler alert – you’re probably too late, you should have started skiing in summer.

former member of the Russian national alpine skiing team, rehabilitator.

He tells you what you need to know before you start skiing and why video lessons from the Internet can’t replace a coach.

What dangers can await a beginner?

The most common problems of beginners who decide to take up such an extreme sport are, of course, poor preparation and unnecessary injuries right at the beginning of the lessons. Knees are a common injury, so you need to be careful, warm up and exercise in the gym and only then run to conquer the slope.

Do you need special physical training or the main thing is just to get up from the couch?

Yes. It prepares you for specific movements specifically in alpine skiing.

What does it involve? Statodynamic load, exercises with change of direction and necessarily exercises on unstable platforms, as alpine skiing implies passing friends or tourists. It is very important that your body is oriented in space: if there is a chance of a collision, you must be able to react quickly and move aside. Training is necessary to make riding comfortable and safe for all participants.

Do I need a coach or are lessons from the internet enough?

You may be able to understand the techniques from the internet, but you need to know that it’s not the same in practice. I advise you to take at least the first few lessons with a trainer to show the basic movements: how to brake, how to turn and how to fall correctly. It all makes a difference.

A lot of injuries happen to beginners when they try to learn something themselves, climbing higher, thinking that they already know how to do everything and that they can handle high mountains. There are a lot of fractures, falls, sprains and torn ligaments. You should start small: take lessons from an instructor and calmly learn all the movements for further safe skiing.

How much time a week should I spend on the slope?

The more often, the better. If we take into account professional athletes, they train five times a week.

If you want to achieve faster results and a better level of skating, then, of course, here if possible. It is better to train three times a week. Another option is schools that recruit groups by skating level, take you to the slopes for a week, and you already learn together with instructors.

If we are talking about skiing in one city, without traveling, then 1-2 times a week will be great, together with additional physical activity and practicing the exercises that the coach will tell you about.

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As for ski suits. We always choose: non-blowing, waterproof. There are many firms, I recommend Besson, Vist, Vuarnet or Stayer.

Speaking of skis and boots, here you should look towards touring skis, they will be softer and best suited for beginners. There are a lot of firms, and it is better to choose in the store together with the seller. There you will be helped to choose the length of skis (depending on your height), choose their stiffness (relative to your level and style of skiing), choose boots, poles and helmet. There is always a lot of choice. You need to focus on the budget that you lay down, but I can immediately say that the equipment is not the cheapest, and now good skis for tourist skiing can be found in the range of 20 to 25 thousand rubles per set.

Tip: buy ski equipment in the summer, when stores organize good sales on everything you need.

What can not do a beginner?

• Neglect sports training. It is important to realize that if you get up on alpine skis without preparation, then, most likely, your muscles will be “screaming” the next day. Muscle pain will come off for quite a long time. This is very unpleasant, and therefore it is better to start training in the gym or at home, and then gradually get up on skis.
• Neglect warming up. Before you get up on alpine skis and go, you should have a warm-up. Banal exercises to stretch your joints and activate muscle groups – squats, lunges, a couple of balance exercises – and you’re good to go.
• Save money on good equipment. Alpine skis are bought for a very long period of time. One set can serve you for a long time.
• Neglect the services of an instructor. It is better to take a few lessons to teach you everything than to think that you can do everything. Falling, breaking limbs, tearing ligaments and then having a long recovery time is not the best choice.

All of the above is the top of what a beginner needs to do in order to grow into a pro.